HILLSDALE COUNTY — The spring sports season has concluded, and with it begins the postseason accolades featuring many of Hillsdale County’s top high school male athletes. This year, the Hillsdale Daily News will be selecting one of the following athletes as the Daily News Choice Spring Sports Male Athlete MVP.
In addition, reader’s can vote for their own favorite athlete to earn the Reader’s Choice MVP. The voting poll, which will be monitored for foreign I.P. addresses, ends on Saturday, June 27 at 11:59 p.m. Readers can vote as many times as they want for their favorite athlete.
Along with the MVP honors, a runner-up will be announced alongside the runner-up in the voting poll. One athlete per school was nominated, and one additional athlete was nominated to have each prep sport represented by an athlete.
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- Brandon Menchaca – Camden-Frontier Boys Track and Field: Camden-Frontier junior Brandon Menchaca capped off an impressive junior season of RedHawk athletics with an all-state honor at the Division 4 track state finals. The pole vault specialist qualified for his first-ever trip to the finals after placing runner-up at regionals. Menchaca would go on to clear 12-feet at state to take seventh overall and all-state. It capped an impressive pole vault season that earned him four wins – including Area Best and SCAA titles. He cleared 12-feet in four different events this season. He ran five other events this year, most prominently the 4×200-meter relay. He helped different relay groups earn two wins and a bronze medal at regionals. Menchaca, along with Dominic Kurtz, Matthew Draheim and Skylar Watson took runner-up in the 4×200 at the Area Best meet, setting a season-best time of 1:35.50. He also ran in the third-place 4×400 relay at the Area Best meet. The team also took third at regionals. He helped the 4×100 teams earn three top five finishes. Individually, he earned top 10 finishes in every 100 and 200-meter dash event this season, including top five finishes at regionals and the Area Best meet in the 200. He took third at the SCAA championship.
- Ashton Thornsbury – Hillsdale Boys Trackand Field: Ashton Thornsbury ended his senior season as one of Division 3’s top high jumpers and one of Hillsdale’s key athletes that helped the team capture a regional championship. His personal-best 6-feet, 6 inches in the high jump event captured him an individual regional championship, his sixth win of the season and tied the school record for high jump. He finished runner-up in high jump at the MITCA D3 team state finals. He was also the LCAA champion high jumper. While the senior didn’t set a mark at the D3 state finals, his 6-6 jump at regionals was second-best among Division 3 athletes this season. Thornsbury was also a key member of the 4×100 Hornet relay teams this season, helping the team capture runner-up at regionals, first at the MITCA D3 team state championship and an Area Best title. The team of Thornsbury, Marshay Harris Cam Arnold and Brayden Taylor set a school record time of 43.22 seconds at the Area Best meet. The group qualified for the MHSAA D3 finals and took 26th. Thornsbury set school records in both 110 and 300-meter hurdle events this year. Despite running just two prior events, Thornsbury qualified for the 300 hurdles state finals and ran a personal best 40.50 seconds to take 13th, setting the school record. He set a school record in the 110 hurdles at regionals (14.86) to help the team win regionals. In the 110 hurdles, he was runner-up at the MITCA D3 team state championship, took 12th at the MHSAA finals and earned three wins including the LCAA title.
- Edward Keaster – Hillsdale Academy Golf: After earning sixth overall in the SCAA championship jamboree, Edward Keaster helped lead Hillsdale Academy golf to an SCAA title and a regional title. Hillsdale Academy boys golf won the D4 Region 22 championship with a team score of 330. Keaster led the team with a final score of 76 through 18 holes. He shot three birdies to stay four-over-par and earn the individual regional title. He helped the Colts earn a trip to the MHSAA Division 4 LP golf finals. The team earned a top five finish with a final score of 673. Keaster led the team with a 21st place finish on Day 1. He finished 40th overall through two days.
- Dawson Scharer – Hillsdale Academy Boys Track and Field: The senior followed up his state title run in 2025 with a dominating run in 2026. Scharer swept the MHSAA Division 4 state finals in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles events. He won two state titles setting a personal best 110-meter time of 14.63 seconds and setting a season-best 38.52 in the 300. Combining both events, he earned 21 wins including league, regional, MITCA team state and Area Best titles. He earned all-state with the 4×400-meter relay team, taking seventh with Jordan Perry, Luke Molenkamp and Timothy Gaebler. He won league, regional and MITCA team state titles with different 4×400 relay teams. In addition to these events, Scharer won four 100-meter dash races, including league and MITCA team state titles. He won three 200-meter dash races, including the Area Best title. His efforts this season helped Hillsdale Academy boys track win league, regional, MITCA D4 state and MHSAA D4 state championships. In addition, he went on to compete at the MITCA Annual Champions of Champions event, taking third in the 110-hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. He also competed at the Nike Outdoor Nationals on June 20, taking ninth overall in the 110 hurdles and running a personal best 14.78 seconds. He took 47th in the 400 hurdles.
- Jonesville Boys 4×800 relay team of Caleb Blonde, Ashton Potwin, Collin Fucile and Nicholas Fowler: A team made up of state finalists, the Jonesville boys track 4×800 relay team had a perfect season across multiple different groups this season. However, the group of Blonde, Potwin, Fucile and Fowler had a perfect run as a group this season that culminated in a Division 3 4×800 relay state title. The state champion relay team started their run with a win at the East Jackson Dome Classic. They went on to earn conference, regional and Area Best titles before running an 8:01.99 to win the Division 3 boys track state title. Fowler sealed the title for the Comets as the anchor leg and the team’s senior leader. Three of the four runners were also individual state qualifiers. Blonde (third and all-state) and Fowler (13th) ran in the 800. Collin Fucile took 15th in the 3,200-meter run. Blonde also ran in the 4×400 relay (15th overall).
- Logan Perkins – Litchfield Trackand Field, Baseball: Litchfield sophomore Logan Perkins represented the Terrier track program with an appearance at the 2026 MHSAA D4 track state finals. In his first varsity season running for the Terriers, Perkins earned three wins, six other top five finishes and all-league honors in the 100-meter dash. He ran a personal best 11.44 seconds to become the lone Terrier state qualifier at regionals. He ran to a 29th finish at the state finals. He took third overall at the SCAA championships. In addition, Perkins ran in the 4×100 relay this season, helping the team earn one victory and two other top five finishes. He was the Litchfield baseball team’s main catcher for the 2026 season. The sophomore led the team with 139 putouts and a .943 fielding percentage. He also led the team with 19 runs and 22 stolen bases. He also had 17 hits and 12 RBIs this season. He earned honorable mention all-league honors for his efforts this season.
- Desman Lawless – North Adams-Jerome Baseball: The Rams’ sophomore ace pitcher followed up his breakout freshman year helping lead North Adams-Jerome to a share of the SCAA-East title and another district finals appearance. Desman Lawless was responsible for seven of North Adams-Jerome’s 11 wins this season. In the district title game against Concord, Lawless threw 14 strikeouts to just two earned runs against Concord. He threw 103 total strikeouts to lead Hillsdale County. He finished the season with just a .807 earned-run average, a .623 WHIP and a .095 opponent batting average. He had double-digit strikeouts in eight games this season. With 44 at-bats, he led the team with a .659 batting average, a 1.068 slugging percentage, 29 hits, 12 extra-base hits including two home runs and 24 runs. He earned SCAA East MVP all-league honors.
- Jacob Drawe – Pittsford Boys Track and Field, Baseball: Pittsford senior Jacob Drawe was the Pittsford baseball team’s main ace on the mound his senior season. The lefty earned five wins, throwing 73 strikeouts, helping the Wildcats earn a share of the SCAA-East conference title – himself earning first team all-league honors. Drawe also led the Wildcats in steals with 14. Drawe qualified for the Division 4 track and field state finals in three events. He took 18th overall in long jump, ending his career with a personal best 19-feet, 11 3/4-inch distance. He was a top three all-conference long jumper and finished runner-up at regionals and the Area Best meet. He was one of the legs of the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams along with fellow senior Mondale Knepfler, Gavin Leggett and Brendon Nave. The group qualified for the finals in both races this year, earning 17th overall in both events at the finals. Drawe helped the group earn a league title in both events, runner-up in the 4×200 regional finals and an Area Best title in the 4×200.
- Brayden Wright – Reading Boys Track and Field: Brayden Wright finished his career as a Ranger as one of the top sprinters in all of Division 4 standings. The senior sprint specialist was the top 100-meter dash athlete in Hillsdale County, running a sub-11 for the first time in his career. He ran 10.93 seconds to win a regional title. He was an early state qualifier and won a total of 11 sprint races this season. This included a run of five straight wins in the 100, including the Area Best title. He also dominated in the 200-meter dash, running down a regional title and a career-best 22.65 mark. He likely would have won an Area Best title in the event if it wasn’t for a late season injury at the event. He was a member of the 4×100 relay teams, helping the Rangers capture six relay wins, including a regional championship. He also helped qualify the 4×200 relay team for the state finals. In addition, he ran with the 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams at different points this season. Wright was unable to compete at 100-percent for his last MHSAA state finals appearance, but the senior still ran in the 100, 200, 4×100 and 4×200 races to complete his career. He took 24th in the 200, 35th in the 100, 11th in the 4×200 and earned all-state with Aiden Clark, Gaven Mckibbin and Will Elder in the 4×100. The group took fifth overall with a time of 44.48. Had Wright been healthy, he would have likely competed for a state title in the 100-meter dash, holding the second-best Division 4 mark the entire season.
- Troy Shamplo – Waldron Baseball, Shooting Sports: The multi-sport star for the Waldron Spartans ended his prep career as a first team all-league baseball athlete and an all-state trap shooter. Shamplo was one of Waldron’s top arms on the mound this year, winning three games and striking out 33 batters. He led the team with 21 hits and was one of the top base runners in the county with 27 runs and 27 steals. He was also one of the county’s top trap shooters this season, earning Waldron Trap team MVP honors for his efforts. At the 2026 Michigan Trap Shooting State Tournament, Shamplo took 24th overall in the state in his division, final score of 92, to earn himself all-state honors alongside teammate Isaac Fether.
- Castin Cousino – Will Carleton Boys Track and Field: Junior relay specialist Castin Cousino helped Will Carleton boys track set new school records in the 4×200 and 4×400-meter relays this season. The 4×200 relay team of Wesley Charleville, Theo Davis, Cousino and Jack Seiffertt set a school record time of 1:43.10 to take fifth at the Hillsdale Area Best meet. Cousino helped lead the 4×200 team to three top five finishes and a top 10 finish at regionals. He joined Davis, Asher Church and Seiffertt in setting the 4×400 school record time of 3:48.06 at the Region 35 finals, taking fifth place. Cousino helped the 4×400 teams earn three top five finishes and two top 10 finishes. He also ran in the 4×800 relay once this season — taking second. As an individual runner, Cousino set a new WCA school record in the 800-meter run, a time of 2:08.93 at regionals — a seventh-place finish. He earned at least seventh place in every 800-meter race, including a win and a fourth-place finish at the SCAA championships.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Voting is open for Hillsdale County Spring Sports Male Athlete MVP
